Download The Aztec and Inca Empires

The Aztec and Inca Empires
AP World History Notes
Chapter 14
General Info
!  Aztecs = in Mexico and Central
America
!  Incas = in South America
!  Both lacked: work animals, metal
tools, wheels
!  Both still developed: centralized
governments & armies and both
conquered other empires
!  Both ended when: conquered by the
Spanish
Aztec Empire
Inca Empire
Aztec Empire
!  Capital = Tenochtitlan (modern-day
Mexico City)
!   Agricultural
center and marketplace
Aztec Empire
!  Built chinampas = artificial islands
used for farming made by piling mud
from the lake onto rafts à floating
gardens
!  As population grew, Aztecs expanded
outside of the city à built canals and
bridges to connect the mainland to
the island where the capital was
The Empire
!  Stretched from Mexico to the border
of Guatemala
!  Stretched from the Atlantic to the
Pacific Ocean
!  Conquered people had to pay tribute
(taxes) in the form of: food, clothing,
raw materials, prisoners for sacrifice,
jewelry, military supplies, rubber balls,
etc.
The Empire
!  Aztec civilization organized as a
hierarchy
!   At
the top = the emperor
!   Classes = nobility, commoners, serfs,
slaves
Land owned by: nobility and commoners
!   Commoners = priests, merchants, artisans,
farmers
!   Serfs = farm workers tied to noble lands
!   Lowest class = slaves = prisoners of war;
criminals; debtors – often sacrificed
! 
Religion & the Arts
!   Religion moved them
to engage in war and
sacrifice
!   Live human sacrifices
were needed to keep
the gods happy
!   Aztec artists decorated
temple-pyramids with
scenes of gods or
battles
!   Writers glorified Aztec
victories in their works
Quetzalcoatl
God of dying & resurrection
The Inca Empire
!   Lived in the Andes
Mountains in South
America
!   Empire stretched about
2500 miles along the
Andes
!   Capital = Cuzco
The Inca Empire
!  Raided other tribes and slowly built a
large empire
!  Strong central government à local
rulers had to report to Inca emperor
!   Unlike
the Aztec Empire, which had no
centralized government or complex
administration
The Inca Empire
!  Emperor closely controlled the lives of
common people
!   Owned
all land and carefully regulated
the growing & distribution of food
!   Farmers used step terraces on hillsides
!   Part of all crops after every harvest went
to emperor as taxes
The Inca Empire
!   Work crews built roads &
bridges to link different
regions of the empire
!   Gods pleased with food,
animal, and human sacrifices
! 
Not even close to the scale of
the Aztecs
!   No writing system à used
quipus to record information =
ropes with knotted cords of
different lengths
The Inca Empire
!   Mita = labor service used
!   Required periodically of
every household
!   Required to work for the
state
! 
! 
Examples: farming,
herding, mining, crafting
manufactured goods,
construction
In return: state provided
elaborate feasts for the
people
“Gender Parallelism”
!  Both the Aztec and Inca Empires
used this system with men and
women
!  Separate spheres and
responsibilities, but each one equally
valuable
!  Each had autonomy in its own sphere
!  Did NOT mean total gender equality